Systems Thinking
From Kjells
In 2007 I came across Frederic Vester's work about systems thinking. He developed a great tool that can help you build a system model that makes sense in any area where you are lost, because things are too complex. Here is a how-to for its central element, the "paper computer": http://sustainable.a.wiki-site.com/index.php/Paper_Computer
Contents |
[edit]
Liste der System-Modelle, die ich bauen will:
- Arbeitslosigkeit
- Ausländerfeindlichkeit & Rechtsradikalismus
- Bildungssystem zum Lernsystem/Noten
- China-Hegemonie
- Defensa del Territorio M.A.
- Eheprobleme
- Gute Lehre
- HC Local Communities
- Indiyouth-Projekte
- Interkulturelles Zusammenleben/bikulturelle Identität in der Gesellschaft
- Israel-Palästina-Konflikt
- Krebs
- Lernen allgemein (geht das überhaupt?)
- meine Email-Routinen
- Mesoamerikanische Zivilisation
- Müll
- Nachhaltiger Lebensstil/Sustainable Society
- Otra Campaña en México
- Parteras Tradicionales
- Partizipative Demokratie/Politisches System in Deutschland (Partizipation)
- Pick-up (Geht es, mit so einem Modell Prozesse sinnvoll darzustellen?)
- Politisches System & Medien
- Prüfungsfluch
- Saubere Flüsse in SCLC
- Sistema Educativo (Mara)
- Sprachenlerner
- Sustainability im AFS
- Therapiewirksamkeit (Psychotherapie)
- Umweltkrise global
- UN-Missionen: MONUC
- Warum effektive Sprachlernmethoden sich nicht durchsetzen
- WWF: Strategische Langzeitplanung
- YAC-SD-Onlinekurs Partizipation
[edit]
Paper computer applications
- I have successfully applied one part of it, the paper computer to analyze my own working style while writing scientific texts and am applying it right now to the question of language learning (see here: Speaking foreign languages like a native - how to do it.).
- Some information about the model: http://www.frederic-vester.de/eng/sensitivity-model/
- The software is described here: http://www.rasena.ch/pages/s_software.html
Very few researchers so far have applied it. Here are two examples:
- Scholz, Michael (2005), EIN GANZHEITLICHER ANSATZ ZUR ERKLÄRUNG UND STEIGERUNG DER EFFIZIENZ VON UNTERNEHMENSBERATUNGSLEISTUNGEN FÜR KMU: KONZEPTION EINES SYSTEMTHEORETISCHEN ERKLÄRUNGSMODELLS UND SIMULATIONSGESTÜTZTE ABLEITUNG VON GESTALTUNGSEMPFEHLUNGEN FÜR BERATUNGSPROJEKTE. Dissertation zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades des Doktors der Wirtschaftswissenschaften (Dr. rer. pol.), Fakultät für Wirtschaftswissenschaften, Department Wirtschaftsinformatik - Business Information Systems, Universität Paderborn
- HOFSTETTER, Patrick & MADJAR, Michael (2005), How to increase happiness and support sustainable consumption? – A checklist for evaluation and design, Zürich.
[edit]
Resources
- Stella software I want to try that out, since the Vester-software is quite expensive.
- Systems Thinking in the YAC course
- Systems Thinking E-books from Daisy
[edit]
Helpful concepts
- dynamic, natural and social complexity: referring to remote cause-effect relations, inherent novelty of developments and differences in understanding by the involved actors
- apartheid syndrome: because solutions don't work out as planned, one powerful actor isolates himself and imposes his solution on the other, less powerful actors
- vicious/virtuous circles
- balance mechanisms
[edit]
For Fritjof Capra
The Sensitivity Model
- The book that describes his tool is: Frederic Vester, "Die Kunst vernetzt zu denken." (1999).
- The same book in English: "The Art of Interconnected Thinking" (2007).
- This is an English summary and review of the book: Can Nature Teach us Good Research Practice? A Critical Look at Frederic Vester’s Bio-cybernetic Systems Approach.
- A description of the computer tool that is being sold by Malik Management Zentrum St. Gallen: Sensitivity Model Prof. Vester
- Areas of application of the model so far. If you are interested, I also have a list of publications that used the tool.
- Their stance on imitators.
My work
- Kühne, Kjell (2007) Speaking foreign languages like a native - how to do it. The second part deals with a systems analysis. This is my first attempt to use part of this model for a question of educational psychology.
